


Sleepless Nights

by thighchu



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Nightmares, cute girls kissing, honestly i enjoyed this a lot, i MIGHT make this multi chap if i can put the effort in, super fluffy, third person too which i dont do usually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 14:31:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7688065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thighchu/pseuds/thighchu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mei-Ling Zhou was not a soldier. Having experienced conflict first-hand, she had come to that realisation as her kill count reached double figures and continued to grow. The first sign was that her hands hadn’t stopped shaking as she held the trigger, as she killed her tenth man. It was still terrifying, it still felt raw and too real for her and as her senses overloaded, she realised she had cried after every conflict. Even Angela, a scientist herself, was coping better than Mei, which left a bitter taste. But that faded, and all that was left was fatigue. Yet, when surrounded by her friends, Mei felt more secure. She knew that protecting these people mattered most, and that gave her a way to face each mission positively, even if it ended with tears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepless Nights

**Author's Note:**

> ok! it's summer holidays before uni and since all i've done is play overwatch i decided i should be bigger trash  
> so heres the super gross really fluffy fic i hope u like sweet girls n kissing, i dunno how to tag this but w/e teen will do  
> please comment so i know what to improve, its been a long time since i wrote!! (pls not too cruel ty)  
> Котенок = Kitten  
> Bǎobèi = baby/darling

From the first glance, Mei was interested in Aleksandra Zaryanova. She marked it down to their both being used to the cold, a rational and scientific justification as to why she was more comfortable than usual in her company – they had a lot in common, after all. Yes, she confirmed with a short nod, it was just that they were similar. Nothing to do with the muscles. 

“It seems we’ll be bunking together” said Zarya, her voice deep with the accent of her home. Through some coincidence, they had ended up together during their current deployment, and Mei was concerned about the proximity. Although, that might have been an overstatement. They were together all the time anyway, and even if they didn’t acknowledge it verbally, it was comforting to them both to have someone familiar around – especially given how often they were called to defend Overwatch strongholds from the increasingly aggressive Talon attacks. Attacks that had taken their toll on the mental states of the two, given they had never experienced such brutality. Zarya had fought before, sure, but that was Omnics – most of which were incapable of independent thought due to reprogramming by the God AI and didn’t scream, unlike the Talon agents did as their lives ended. On a number of occasions now, Zarya had paused during combat to locate the source of a scream before realising it was her who had caused the scream with a well-placed blast from her particle cannon. But that was an ex-soldier, and to some degree, she was prepared for this.

The same was not true of the scientist, Mei, who fought equally hard but had never had to fight before her cryostasis and certainly had never seen another die before her eyes until now, and never in such numbers. Each memory brought up bile from her stomach, and each time she thought of the terror in each person’s eyes she had to gulp in air, less a panic attack force her to collapse as had happened many times before. But that didn’t stop the nightmares, and with Zarya now sharing the room, Mei had decided she wouldn’t sleep until the mission was over – she couldn’t risk worsening Zarya’s condition with a mission coming soon, and so she settled at the desk in the room and tried to keep herself awake by reading the latest climate reports. At least, that was what she told herself would happen, but as 0400 hours blinked onto the digital clock, Mei had collapsed into a fitful sleep. 

 

She watched, as she had in this dream many times before, as her current colleagues smiled to each other and announced plans for the latest mission. Tracer blinked around, suggesting different angles of attack that nobody else had thought of. Winston dipped a finger into a tub of peanut butter, thinking deeply. Angela – Mercy – sat fussing over Genji, trying to ensure that he was still functioning as intended, as Zenyatta watched on in his typically tranquil way. Reinhardt, as had happened so many times, boomed his great laughter and announced they were safe with him and his shield on side, and Zarya nodded resolutely that she, too, was dedicated to their protection. With a blur, they were outside and fighting off more and more agents, but as always, a creeping paranoia settled into her skin as it had hundreds of times when out in the field. Yet, wordlessly, Mei was forced to continue to watch as that paranoia bloomed into terror with the terrorist Reaper materialising in the middle of the group, a sickening laugh echoing through his mask as both his shotguns began to spin in the pattern of his ‘Death Blossom’, ripping through flesh, armour and shield alike as each of her allies fell to his slaughter. Yet, as always, Mei was frozen still in her cryofreeze, forced to watch as each of those happy smiles fell into nothingness and glassy eyes. Last to fall was Zarya, who had managed to put up a barrier, but that too had been ripped to pieces under the hail of fire. With one last laugh, Reaper disappeared into nothing, and Mei unfroze – aware now of the tears falling down her cheeks and her uncomfortable position.

“Mei. Wake up, Mei.” whispered Zarya softly to the waking Mei. “It’s not real. It’s okay. You’re awake.”

“Aleks?” choked Mei, aware now of how she was struggling to draw breath with another choked sob. “I’m sorry. I woke you up. I’m sorry, Aleks.” 

“Be silent, котенок” hushed Zarya, a large hand holding Mei’s shoulder. “Breath deep. You are safe now.” Each word seemed to slow Mei’s racing heart more, settling finally as the tears dried up, leaving just a warm embrace. Another few minutes passed until Mei lifted her head and looked at the clock, with it now reading 0500 hours. Barely an hour had passed, and she cursed her luck as she felt the strain of her fatigue. Somehow noticing, Zarya lifted the smaller girl over to the bunks they had been intended to share and lay her down, before crouching at her side. 

“Do you want to talk?” asked Zarya, eyes soft with compassion.

“Do you?” replied Mei, a sweet giggle in her throat, but it sounded hollow compared to her usual cheer. “You have to struggle too.”

“Dа, maybe. But I am a soldier. I have seen men die”, sighed Zarya, her tone now grim. “It is raw, yes. But it is my truth. You are a scientist, not a soldier. This should not be your burden to bear.” A soft sigh escaped Mei’s lips before she managed to stop it. She knew she was out of her depth, but hearing it from someone else seemed to relieve some of the guilt she didn’t know she was feeling but also confirmed her feeling of inadequacy.

“Mine or not, I am carrying it. I would not feel right with leaving now, even with the nightmares.” 

“Then, котенок, let me carry too. Share with me your worries, that you might sleep tonight.”

A large hand settled softly onto Mei’s, and unthinkingly their fingers wrapped around each other, a reassuring warmth that they both needed. Zarya’s head, bold pink hair atop it, slumped down towards the bed with a yawn as her own fatigue finally hit, a concerned Mei watching on. 

“I’m sorry but I can’t carry you” whispered Mei, a soft laugh on her lips. Her thumb stroked the back of Zarya’s hand softly, reassuringly.

“I would not let you even if you could. I will not sleep until I am sure you will” she replied, wearing that small but endearing smile she showed only when happy or caught off guard. 

Endearing? That was the first time Mei had thought that. Wasn’t it? Now realising her position, Mei became acutely aware of how their hands were linked, and what she was doing with her thumb, stopping only to realise that Zarya’s striking green eyes were locked with her own. She paused, drawing in breath, and both women were aware of how their hearts were thundering whilst hoping the other didn’t notice. The attraction was so raw, so unfiltered that they didn’t speak. They couldn’t, even as Mei lifted herself to be at the same height as Zarya, eyes and hands still locked. Another moment passed, tension rising until they both leaned in, a soft exchange full of meaning and care as their lips met. It seemed to last forever, and yet ended so suddenly as Mei pulled away, eyes wide with shock. 

“Aleks, I’m sor-…” began Mei, before being shut off by the lips of the Russian on her own once again, a gentle hum reassuring her that everything was fine and making her melt once more. Their hands moved, holding necks and cheeks softly to pull deeper into the kiss, more passionate and needy than the last.  
That was where it began, the short glances and the touches that lingered a bit too long to be purely friendly. They found themselves calling each other sweet names in their native tongues, bǎobèi for Zarya and котенок for Mei. Zarya’s kindness was focused on the smaller girl, and all of Mei’s kindness was focused back. None of the other Overwatch operatives noticed, or if they did they didn’t say anything. Not that it mattered, after all – they were hardly going to stop if their friends knew or even disapproved. Because they relied on each other. Because innocent feelings of attraction had led to a love unlike anything they’d experienced before. Because without someone to lean on, they both had struggled, and now everything felt so perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading!  
> pls comment!


End file.
